I See The Light
by Apocalyptic-Fairytale
Summary: A short one shot set in game. Done for Alan Bate's 102 theme challenge. Theme taken: Finale. Comments are love 33


Boom after boom, the fireworks painted the night sky, lighting up the vast space around the floating Gondola with its bright streams of reds, blues, and golds. Cloud wasn't exactly sure why he allowed her to lure him away from his lonely room, but he did. She somehow got him to go with her on some silly journey for the night. He never really liked to take part in these types of situations, but he was tonight. He even played in some stupid play… _all for her_.

He did everything for her.

She was sitting there quietly, the flashes of colors dancing across her body as she peered through the window and out at the starry starry sky, a sense of bewilderment and happiness swirling in the jade hues of her eyes. As usual, a soft smile caressed her face. With each boom of fireworks Cloud saw her face light up beautifully, an innocent gasp of amazement escaping her every time. Cloud felt a weak smile of his own form on his face at the sight of her. He knew he should be watching the colorful show in the sky, but… his eyes were on her and he _couldn't_ pull them away. No matter how _amazing_ or _beautiful_ Aerith _thought_ the fireworks were… the truth of the matter is—_it could never amount to her, not for Cloud_.

He wasn't sure if the hammering in his chest was due to the erupting fireworks or was his own heart beating faster than ever but he knew something was different about this moment. Different from the other times they shared with each other… _why_? he asked himself. Nothing was even happening. She was sitting in front of him, her interest completely on the night sky, unaware of how _mesmerized_he was by her instead. Another bang rang through the crisp night air as more sets of fireworks began bursting around them.

"Oh, Cloud, look!" she gasped quietly in awe, innocence playing on her murmur. But no matter how much he knew she wanted him to look, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He suddenly felt a sense of envy nip at him as he realized all he wanted was for her to be looking at him. _Just a glance._Something that would tell him she knows he's there for her. Cloud felt his heart pull for him to say something… anything to gain her attention but—he was speechless.

To his hearts every desire, she turned to gaze at him just as another boom echoed through the air, reflections of the fireworks flickering across her face sweetly. At the very moment her jade gaze locked with his blue, Cloud felt all the air in his lungs leave his body. Her eyes on him and his on her, he saw her eyes were brimming with a tender look, and although it was hard to tell due to the darkness, it seemed as though there was a watery layer forming on her eyes. Unsure why, Cloud wanted to so badly ask why she was crying but the soft smile on her face seemed to tell Cloud that the tears weren't of sadness... _but of happiness._

Even so, he felt the urge to say something to her. But no matter how much he tried, the right words failed to assist him. He never felt so nervous before. He was practically putty in her hands and the strangest part about it was how much Cloud _didn't_ mind. He wished he would rather _not_ turn nervous or awkward in moments like this, but he still somehow found himself liking that she had this effect on him. He wasn't sure _why_ she did, but she had the power of bringing his cold, careless, and cool exterior down to a babbling, nervous, and awkward center-one that he usually kept hidden from the world. And yet... Cloud never felt more comfortable in his own skin then he did now, _even with his nerves racking wildly._

Although he enjoyed those feelings and the way she made him feel, it still frustrated him to not know the exact reason why she had this hold on him or how she could make him act so much differently than how he was around the others.

Just as another set of fireworks began to burst in air, he felt his heart stop as he caught a glimpse of her face. Golden rays painted across her skin, creating a heavenly glow. At that very moment she locked eyes with him, Cloud felt as though she touched his soul.

Sitting there with her, it all became clear. All those days he chased down a daydream of being a first class soldier. All the time he wasted living in a blur of someone else. All that time never truly seeing things the way they were... And here she was, shining in the star light and suddenly… _he knew_. If she was near him, she made his whole life crystal clear… _what_ he was meant to do, _where_ he was meant to go… _who_he was meant to be. At last, he saw the light.

It was unexplainable to Cloud. Somehow everything he established himself as suddenly fell around him and he felt as though what he _thought_ he had experienced in his past... wasn't the truth... and _she_showed him that.

The longer she gazed at him the more he understood about himself, as if the fog was finally lifted. The feeling spreading through him felt warm, bright, and most importantly… _real_. And somehow, his entire world shifted in a blink of an eye… _now that he saw her_.

They had only looked at each other for a few seconds but it felt like an eternity to Cloud. And as the fireworks started to grow dim, the gondola falling dark, the light around them lessened more and more and Cloud found it hard to see her eyes or the mesmerizing feeling they were causing in him.

As focus of her was lost, he felt the soul-shifting sensation she was stirring in him disappear and the knowledge he had gained about not only himself but about his feelings grow distant. Like a far off dream, Cloud remembered the feeling and ached for it to return but all answers or hints were lost. All that remained was the happiness she had left soaring through his heart… no answers to any of what he just learned, _only the love he knew he had for her remained._

For a brief moment in time, he saw the light… and all he wanted was for it to return. Without any hesitation at all, Cloud moved his hand to her face, brushing her bang out of her eyes to get a better look at the woman he loved so dearly. His hand gradually made its way to her cheek, caressing her gently as he drew his face closer to hers. Their faces inched closer and closer until just a breaths distance separated their mouths from touching. Just as the grand finale of fireworks began to blast around them Cloud slowly captured her mouth, their lips locking in a chaste embrace. The Gondola soon after started its way back to the docking area, the kiss they were sharing growing deeper and more passionate with each fleeting moment while neither took any notice to anything else around them.  
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><p><strong>Cali here: Yes. It was inspired by TANGLED. Yes, I know it's probably bad. And yes, I don't care if I get flamed for it. I think Tangled is the PERFECTEST Clourith parallel evar. Again, I wrote this today due to the lack of anything else to do. I think it's very realistic that when Aerith saw through to the real Cloud on their date that somehow for a brief brief moment Cloud realized the truth about himself and his feelings... just didn't get the full picture yet. Just my crack theory. xD I wrote this cuz someone very very dear to me keeps my spirits up about doing this hobby of mine. And would you know they're not even a Clourith xD <strong>

**Thanks for reading. :33**


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